Spurs v Boro OPTA preview

Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) Football Club is located in North London. The club is also known as Spurs. Tottenham's home ground is White Hart Lane. The club motto is Audere est Facere (To dare is to do).

Tottenham

White Hart Lane

Saturday 23rd December, 2000

Middlesbrough

18

Games

18

ATTACKING

26

Goals scored

20

1.44

Ave goals per game

1.11

43%

Shooting Accuracy

48%

13%

Goals to shots %

13%

PASSING

6981

Passes

6168

70%

Pass completion %

68%

DEFENDING

70%

Tackle success rate %

70%

27

Goals conceded

28

1.50

Ave goals conceded per game

1.56

DISCIPLINE

274

Fouls

286

26

Yellow cards

40

1

Red cards

3

Tottenham v Middlesbrough

After Tottenham's battling draw against Arsenal and Middlesbrough's great win over Chelsea, both sides should be up for this one.

If there was ever a reason for the Spurs fans to get out of the torturous hell that is Christmas shopping in London, it was the chance to watch their team beat one of the sides at the foot of the table - but it will be a lot harder than many think.

Despite the fact that Spurs have a great home record, their stats are not that different to Bryan Robson's strugglers. Both sides have scored with 13% of their shots and Boro have only conceded one more goal than Tottenham have, with Robson's side shipping 28 goals this term.

Both teams have won 70% of their tackles, while the home side can only boast a pass completion rate of just two percentage points better than Boro. Possession then, could be as tight as the squashed shoppers on the infernal Underground.

Boro might be the away side, but so far this season they have hit the target with 52% of their efforts away from home - the third best in the Premiership. Meanwhile, George Graham's team hit the target with just 43% of their shots.

The Tottenham manager recently said he would need £50m to spend on players if he were to take the team to third place. Robson has spent over £78m on Middlesbrough and they're floundering in 19th place - a sign that you can't just spend you way to success.

With Terry Venables entrusted to save Middlesbrough from relegation, a result at White Hart Lane would not only keep the revival moving in the right direction, it would also be a huge confidence booster and looking at the stats a result here is not out of the question.

Tottenham won't want to lose their good home record to a side that are one off the bottom of the table. With former Spurs manager Venables returning to his old haunt, something entertaining and exciting could be in store - which is more than could be said for those who opted to brave the Christmas shopping.

Matt Pomroy

Matchday Referee:Rob Styles

With an average of 4.14 cards per game, this referee is the third most card happy in the Premiership - a Grinch in black you could say. So far this season he has already sent off three players in the league - the joint-highest - and with Boro having the worst disciplinary record in the top flight there is a high possibility that another one could go in this potentially heated contest. With an average of 6.1 fouls per card awarded he is statistically the least tolerant referee - oh you're a mean one Mr Styles.

Mauricio Taricco and Luke Young remain sidelined for the hosts, while Boro's casualty list is still a lengthy one: Gary Pallister, Mark Summerbell, Andy Campbell and Joseph-Desire Job are all agin likely to miss out. Carlos Marinelli and Hamilton Ricard are both suspended.